Red Threads

Who's That Man?

Mika invites her three friends to return to Nagra's apartment. He needs to calm down first for some time, before continuing the search. After all, he also needs to think of a plan to find out about who the man Alana met at the club that day.

Mika rests her head on the back of the car seat. He's very tired. He forgot the last time he slept in peace. Beside him, Kai only glanced at him a glance, a few times. The guy didn't ask anything. Just let Mika sink into her own thoughts.

Mika's eyes closed. He hopes to sleep, even if only for a few minutes. Unfortunately, the voices in his head did not allow him to rest for a moment. That intangible voice kept forcing him to work, until the case was completely resolved.

Mika finally gave up. He opened his eyes again, and turned to Kai. "We go to my house" he said.

Kai scrunched his forehead. Even so, he did not ask anything. He just continued to run the car, and turned back in the space provided, as per Mika's request.

"Why don't we go to Nagra's apartment?" The kingdom that had just observed the silence that occurred between Mika and Kai, finally opened its voice.

"Gue feels like there's something I can find at home." Mika gave an answer, even though she herself was not sure. To his knowledge, most of Nagra's belongings have been moved to the apartment since the man chose to live there. And deliberately left at home are only items such as mattresses, cabinets, and study tables. There is nothing interesting or suspicious.

Nobody says anything anymore. The roar of the vehicle engine and the sound of the horn were not able to get rid of the silence that occurred between them. Finally, Kai opened his voice. "Where if today, we rest first? Your face is very pale, Ka. Almost like a zombie."

"No, Kai." Mika answered quickly, until it almost sounded like a clash. "We need to get this done right away. Free. I won't be able to sleep quietly if this case still hasn't found a bright spot."

"But, Ka. If you get sick, things won't work out." Kai rejects Mika's wishes which he thinks are too excessive. No matter how important the situation is, health is the main thing.

"Gue promise, I won't be sick."

Kai clucked. How can Mika promise that, while the determination of ill and healthy beyond human capabilities? "But, once we get there, you should promise to take a nap. We also want to sleep. I am so tired. You guys must be tired, too, right?" Kai sees Anggita and Raya on the back bench through the middle rearview mirror.

Understanding the gesture, Anggita immediately replied, "Yes, Ka. I'm so tired. I feel so good about my body."

"Ntar, I'm sleeping at your house, yeah." Raya added.

Mika finally gave up. Three to one. He still won't win. Finally, he could only comply with the requests of his friends. After all, there was no point if he forced himself to look for himself, while his friends slept. He still needs friends for discussion.

Not for an hour, Aggita's car driven by Kai stopped in Mika's yard. Mr. Rudy welcomed their arrival with a big smile. The middle-aged man walked over to Mika who just got down from the car with a worried face.

"Mak Mika is okay, right? I'm really worried because it's been two days Mika's mother did not come home." Mr. Rudy spelled out Mika's steps towards the door of the house.

Mika smiled a little forced. "It's okay, sir. Two days ago Mika was in Nagra's apartment. Mika also told Mama, really."

"Mika, goshaha! Why did you just come home? Mama's worried about you." Yulia ran away from home, hugging Mika.

Mika laughed a little. He had a long time to get such a welcome when he came home. And today he got it. "When you get home, Ma. Mama is calm. Mika, right, just to Nagra's sister's apartment."

Yulia breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he reached out slowly to Mika's ear. "Bas with you, yes! I like to worry my mom. Uh, wait!" Yulia observed every inch of Mika's face with a flat expression. "You think people don't sleep for days?"

"Mika is not sleeping, Aunt," chirped Kai from the back of Mika who immediately replied Mika with a sharp plot.

"Basic, you are!" Then, Yulia's line of sight fell on Mika's friends. "Let's go in. Auntie cooked a lot. We'll eat together."

The offer was met with excitement by Raya and Anggita. They even directly ran into the house, following Yulia's footsteps. Kai was still standing in his place. He looked at Mika meaningfully. Then, step beside Mika.

"Lo happy?" ask Kai.

Mika frowned in amusement. "Happy. I've known for a long time, Mama's never worried about it the same as me."

"Good enough." Kai cleared his throat. "Ka, I can see you smile like that. Whatever happens, promise me that you'll keep smiling like that."

"Eh?"

Kai smiled a little. Without saying anything else, he walked first into the house. Then, sit next to Anggita to enjoy the food.

In the doorway of the house, Mika stood sculpting. There were fireworks that suddenly exploded in his chest. A small smile fell on his lips, involuntarily. Kai. That guy always managed to make Mika feel meaningful and special.

♥

Mika doesn't know how to behave. He was awkward, but also very happy. He did not understand why today Yulia insisted on accompanying him to sleep. At first, he wanted to refuse because he still felt he had to solve Nagra's case. However, because he saw his friends who had fallen asleep in the living room, he finally chose to go to sleep.

"Want you tell me a story?" Yulia offered herself.

Mika shakes. "No need. Mama Temenin Mika just slept."

Yulia smiled. Then, he settles down next to Mika, and begins to tell her about their memories first. Mika listened to all, without anyone missing. He also heard stories of Nagra forcing Yulia and Martin to make him part of the family. There is no more pain, there is only warmth. No more hurt, only happy. And for the first time, after the heavy months he had gone through, he was able to sleep soundly.

♥

"Sorrys. Not intentionally." Kai's still looking for something at Nagra's desk. Anything that could provide clues about a man Alana met at the heart club.

They don't really sleep. After making sure Mika slept soundly, they immediately took action to search Nagra's room. They also received permission from Julie. Yulia even enthusiastically responded to the plan. And as a result, Yulia accompanied Mika to sleep so that the three people could carry out the action.

"Kai, Nagra's phone is still on lo, isn't it?" tanya Raya's. Suddenly he thought of something.

"Yes. Why?"

"Gue's gonna borrow a minute." Raya takes Nagra's phone from Kai's hand, and begins to unpack its contents. He himself did not know what he was looking for. He was just wondering if there was really no clue left behind.

"Lo find something, Git?" ask Kai. He was getting tired of dismantling Nagra's study table. There was nothing suspicious that he found in that place.

Anggita brandished a flash disk he found under Nagra's bed. I don't know, just suddenly thinking about something in that place. "We need to see the contents."

"Gue bring the laptop." Raya immediately pulled the laptop out of her bag.

Their work was stopped, while waiting for the contents of the flash disk to appear on the screen of Raya's laptop. The tiny object contained only schoolwork, and reports of Nagra's work as an OSIS member. However, when they were about to give up and concluded that there was nothing in it, Kai exclaimed, "Wait!"

Kai takes over the laptop from Raya's hands, then changes its settings to be able to see hidden files. Sure enough, there was one folder that they did not know of its existence at this time. A folder named with random letters caught their attention.

"Try opening!" Assume to give instructions.

Not long after, the folder opened and the laptop screen displayed a video file. They looked at each other for a moment. Negative thoughts begin to form in Kai's head.

"I didn't think I was, Nagra turned out to miss the 'so' video'." Kai clucked while shaking his head.

"Don't ngaco! Nagra is not like you." Anggita rewards Kai with a ribak, to make the guy grimace while rubbing the back of his head.

"Joking times, Git. Why are you so much the same with me?"

Guess we roll the eyeballs. He chooses to ignore Kai, and refocuses on the laptop that has started the process of displaying the video.

A few seconds passed for so long. They held their breaths while waiting for the laptop screen to play the video. Only after the video spun did they be able to exhale a sigh of relief.

The video features Alana's disheveled and tired face. Dark circles, as well as prominent cheekbones adorned the girl's face. Almost the same as Anggita and Raya saw in the mental hospital that day. Alana's eyes were red. There were still traces of tears flowing down her cheeks. Alana did not immediately open the sound once the video was recorded. The girl even cried first, which made Kai itch to play the video a few seconds faster.

"No need to skip! Let's just wait until it's over." Anggita patted the back of Kai's hand that was about to direct the cursor.

Kai clucked. "Casual, Git. Actually, what's wrong with me, anyway, to lo?"

Anggita returned Kai's annoyed look with a fierce look. "Gue's still pissed because I drank my drink yesterday."

Kai sighs. "Gue's sorry, Git. Anyway, I've also changed your drink."

"It feels different."

"What's different, Anggita? The name of the menu is the same, the material is the same, the message is also in the same place." Kai ruffled his hair.

"Shhhh!! You guys can shut up, can't you? He's gonna say this." Raya mediates an insignificant debate between Kai and Anggita.

The discussion is over. Their focus is now only on one point, Alana.

"Hello, Nagra." Alana's hoarse voice opened the video. After that, there is a long enough pause, to make Kai's hands begin to itch to speed up the video again.

"Gue actually does not know, how to talk this to you. I don't know, you'll be able to accept it, or not. I don't know if you'll believe it or not. But, Gra, I don't know who else to say this to." Alana wiped her tears. Then, the sound is heard again. After wiping away her tears, Alana spoke again. "I'm pregnant, Gra. You may not remember what we did at the villa that day, because you were drunk. But, Gra, I'm pregnant. Your son."

Just pause that video. He, Kai, and Anggita looked at each other. They try to find answers to the same questions that arise in their respective heads. "What happened at Villa?"

Kai recalled Samuel's words that day. The guy once said that the reason for the fight with Nagra that day was because of the incident at Villa. So, Samuel must have known about the incident. Unfortunately, Samuel didn't want to go further, so Kai couldn't extract information from the guy.

Back to playing that video. Nothing was said until the video ended. Just five seconds before the video was completed, a man entered Alana's room. Raya, Anggita, and Kai lean their heads closer to the laptop screen. Trying to find out who that guy is.

"Alana, let's eat. You haven't eaten since this morning, have you?" The man crouched down beside Alana. From the movement of the man's hand that wiped the tears on Alana's cheek, hinting that they had a very close relationship.

The video ended, right after the man wiped Alana's tears. That right left the question on the chest of Anggita, Kai, and Raya. They throw one another a look. Looking for support, are they thinking of the same thing? Until at the end, Raya first voiced, representing the contents of the heads of two friends, "Don't-don't, Kak Nagra was framed. No, it wasn't Nagra that made Alana pregnant. But, that man."

I don't know how she feels. He was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and pleasure, as the accusations about Nagra impregnating Alana slowly began to thin out. Disappointed, however, he could not hide. For what purpose did Alana accuse Nagra of doing all that? And again, the notion that Alana is not a good woman came back to his mind. If Alana was a good girl, why didn't she fight back when she wiped her tears?